May 25, 2020<\/a>
\nInterview with an umpire: Jennifer Zhang on ‘amazing journey’ to WTA
\nBeijing native Jennifer Zhang recounts her road to becoming the first chair umpire from China to earn a gold badge and the role she now plays as a mentor for other tennis officials from her country.<\/p>\nHaving already seen much of the world and worked at some of the biggest events in tennis, Jennifer Zhang thought that selection for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 might mark the end of her officiating career \u2014 the culmination of seven years of work in what was, at that time, not her full-time job.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just really happy that I was there \u2014 the Olympics in my hometown, what more could I ask for?\u201d she said. \u201cBecause at that time, officiating was my hobby and I thought that it would be difficult to make it my career.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a laugh, she added: \u201cI was already 30, and I was saying, \u2018This was good, but it might be time to settle down and find a \u2018normal\u2019 job.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the 12 years since, the Beijing native has more than made officiating her career: a lynchpin in the WTA\u2019s team of chair umpires, Zhang holds an integral position both on and off the court as the sport, and by extension, its officiating, continues to grow in Asia.<\/p>\n
Growing up in an apartment complex in close proximity to some of the first hard courts built in the Chinese capital, Zhang picked up the sport at the age of 9 after being recruited for free introductory lessons by a local coach. After competing in national junior tournaments as a player, she became certified as an official in 2001 at the suggestion of her childhood best friend, Wang Yu-jin, whom she met in the sport. The pair hoped to use the opportunity to stay in tennis and spend more time together.<\/p>\n
With the support of both the China Tennis Association (CTA) and regional Asian Tennis Association (ATA), Zhang received her white badge from an ITF Level 2 school in Bangkok, Thailand in 2002, which afforded her to begin officiating internationally.<\/p>\n
Read more: Interview with an umpire: German trailblazer Miriam Bley<\/p>\n
When Beijing was awarded the bid for the Olympic Games in 2004, Zhang\u2019s career trajectory quickly changed. Soon, she was one of a small group of Chinese officials chosen for an ITF development program that had the goal of training them in the years leading up to the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cAround 10 of us were selected, and they helped us apply to work at Grand Slams so we could see the highest level of professional tennis and get experience before the Olympics,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very lucky that I got into this program just two years after getting a white badge. At that time, I had a lot of free time to travel, and this also helped me practice my English.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Zhang worked in an off-court role in the officiating team in Beijing as an assistant chief umpire. She was a liaison between approximately 50 Chinese officials to the broader international team, helped tend to their needs on and off the court and interpreted when necessary.<\/p>\n
Holding a bronze badge at the time, which she\u2019d earned by passing an ITF Level 3 school in Doha, Qatar in 2006, Zhang questioned where officiating could take her from there.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that time, I figured that making it to a bronze badge was pretty good, because there weren\u2019t that many people [in Asia] pursuing officiating as a career,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo get there, you need to travel around the world to get more experience, work ATP and WTA events and Grand Slams. [By 2008], I had already seen all four Grand Slams and some WTA events, and had the Olympics at home. It was already beyond what I\u2019d ever expected or imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n
Promoted to a silver badge at the end of 2008 \u2014 which, according to her, was a welcome surprise \u2014 opened new doors. From 2010 to 2012, she was a member of a joint ITF, ATP and WTA officiating team which afforded her more opportunities to work as a chair umpire at bigger events abroad.<\/p>\n
Read more: Norway’s Julie Kjendlie takes ‘fun road’ to the tour<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was another opportunity for me that came with other challenges,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen the WTA offered me a chance to go to Europe, I was able to see more tennis at a high level.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatches were completely different from my previous experiences. Not only was the level different, but the setup of the tournaments was also \u2014 from players, crowds, media, live TV, announcements of the score in local languages, to officials from different countries, ball kids, cultural differences and language barriers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were so many things for me to learn and to adjust to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the 2012 season, Zhang was promoted to a gold badge \u2014 which, along with tour supervisor Chen Shu, makes her one of two Chinese officials at the top of the profession in the WTA \u2014 and she has been a member of the tour\u2019s team of chair umpires since then.<\/p>\n
While she travels on an average of 26 weeks a year on tour, Zhang\u2019s role closer to home is two-fold. A fixture in the chair at all of her country\u2019s WTA events, she also serves as a mentor for young Chinese officials as part of the tour\u2019s development program.<\/p>\n
“I assist them, support them, teach some clinics and workshops at tournaments during the year and do evaluations whenever possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s easier and more comfortable for them to communicate with me and share officiating experiences with each other without the language barrier.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m there for them if they have questions, because they might have some of the same difficulties that I had as they are starting their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n
While having her and her colleagues as a resource, Zhang also says that there is no substitute for on-the-job training and believes that the opportunity that now exists for her compatriots on home soil can only be a positive thing in the development of more officials from the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina holds so many events now compared to when I started, from the Asian swing every year to the prestigious WTA Finals in Shenzhen since last year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe country has also been supporting the development of tennis as a sport thanks to the many players who have had success in their careers. With so many opportunities, and a lot of good tennis officials coming to China regularly every year, this might encourage more people to try tennis officiating as a job.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they love tennis and traveling, seeing these opportunities might make them think that they can do it \u2014 and seeing me working as a full-time tennis umpire for so many years maybe also makes them think that they can do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
And personally, the opportunity to spend weeks at home is not lost on the 42-year-old, who got married at the end of 2018, and also enjoys spending her time away from the court with her husband and her young niece, who was born in 2013.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I come home, she\u2019s different,\u201d she continued. \u201cShe started elementary school last year, and recently, I enjoy picking her up from school when I can. My elder sister\u2019s family has been a strong support for me\u2026 and I\u2019m grateful to have that time to work in China during the year. I\u2019m also grateful to have a husband who is so supportive and understanding of the travel of my job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having forged a path in uncharted territory when she first began her officiating career, Zhang is quick to credit the numerous mentors and colleagues who assisted her along the way and prepared her for success, and now only hopes to do the same for those coming after her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith God\u2019s blessing, I\u2019ve been extremely lucky. Not only had I never thought that I\u2019d have so many people supporting and helping me on and off the court, but also that I\u2019d visit so many beautiful places around the world and meet so many friends on the tour,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a lot of opportunities that came to me unexpectedly. It\u2019s been an amazing journey for me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Have you wondered how to become a chair umpire in tennis? Below is the journey\u00a0Jennifer Zhang (1978-), a Beijing native took to become one: 2012, gold badge 2008, silver badge 2006, bronze badge 2002, white badge Her journey seems smooth. And she remains low key, which all the officials are. (I do wonder how her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tennis-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.ireneeng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.ireneeng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.ireneeng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.ireneeng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.ireneeng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.ireneeng.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44702\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.ireneeng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.ireneeng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.ireneeng.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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